Bainbridge Island Retreat

Marie and I decided this past week that a full-day excursion was in order.

Evan and I had planned on taking a half day to do some sight-seeing but since school is super busy right now, especially on the trimester system, Marie and I ended up going on the adventure instead. I have heard a lot about Bainbridge Isalnd and I knew it was pretty close to Seattle, so I figured it would make for a good and easy day trip. The best part is that it is super easy to take public transportation there! Marie and I hopped on a bus for downtown in the morning, took a 5 minute walk to the ferry dock, then you can use your bus pass (orca card) to pay the ferry toll, which is $6.90 for a round-trip! Super easy, and super fun!

Marie hipped me to the fact that if you bring your own mug, you can get it filled with hot chocolate on the ferry for $1. So we filled up our mugs, and watched the Seattle scenery float away.

As it turned out, we picked the worst day of the week to have an outdoor adventure. It was cold, windy and rainy! There was also a lot of fog, so pretty soon after leaving shore, everything just looked gray. I’m actually surprised this photo looks as good as it does– if that gives you any idea. I love the ferry rides up in Seattle. They remind me of childhood visits to my grandmother on Lopez Island. I always had a lot of fun on those trips. I keep hoping to see killer whales again! We’ve only spotted them off the ferry once.

One of the things I love about Seattle is their ability to use creative, environmentally-friendly solutions for all sorts of things! Check out these solar-powered lights at the ferry dock. All I have to say is if Seattle, one of the cloudiest and rainiest places in this country can use solar panels, I think the rest of us can too. By the way, can you see all of the intense rain going on in this photo? I told you it was rainy!

When we got to Bainbridge we were quick to learn that our adventure was totally worth it– turns out the sun was hiding over here! It was surprising to see even a crack of blue in the what appeared to be seamless, gray sky. All of the colors of the fall trees made for some beautiful scenery.

Downtown Bainbridge is about a five minute walk from the ferry landing. There are all sorts of cute shops, including a yarn store! I was super pumped because I finally found the baby blanket pattern I want to make for my sister. I also invested in some amazing wool socks. Since living in California the past two years, I found that I was really lacking in the warm and tall sock department. This has been resolved. Am I starting to sound like an old lady? knitting? socks? Sometimes I feel like I sound ridiculous and other times I’m really grateful that simple things like yarn and socks can make me really happy.

While walking around, we saw these solar trash/recycle compactors. Yep, compacts right on the spot. I thought that was pretty awesome. Eventually, Robin (Marie’s roommate) and her mom (who lives on the island) met up with us and we headed back to their place. I had heard that their house was pretty cool but I truly had no idea.

The house is super eco-friendly. They have a large cement wall in the middle of the house that attracts heat from the sun and slowly releases it throughout the day. That is the main way they heat their home. They also have solar panels and a living roof. This is the kitchen. As you can see it is a simple, modern design.

Their house has been featured in a ton of magazines and it’s pretty easy to see why. It has a basic and homey but elegant feel about it. Shortly after I took this photo, we used this table for pizza, wine and a game of Settlers of Catan. Why must I love that game so much? And when am I going to actually win a game?

I definitely wish I would have taken more photos of the house, especially from the outside. But I also felt kind of ridiculous drooling over someone’s home…

And here is the view from all those windows in the last photo! Keep in mind that it was still gray and rainy but even then you can clearly see all of downtown Seattle. It’s a beautiful spot to watch boats and ferries and the sunset.

Here is part of the master bath. And there is my photo debut–at least of this post anyway 🙂

I love this rug! It was super plush and cozy. The bathtub was voted the bathtub of the year for some Seattle-based magazine. Pretty cool if you ask me. Robin’s mom is very committed to sharing their home to inspire others to realize that these sorts of environmentally-friendly changes are possible.

This is the living roof that is above the kitchen and living room.

This is a view from the second story of the house.

As the sun set, the last rays of sunshine mixed with the opening in the clouds. It created a very cool effect on Seattle and the buildings, almost like the city was on fire.

It was super fun to watch. After it was dark, we all settled in and watched the move Emma. I had no idea that the 90’s movie Clueless was based on this Jane Austin film. I had a lot of fun figuring out which characters in Emma were certain characters in Clueless. We then all went out to dinner with Robin’s dad to a place called Local Harvest. As per the name, it is a restaurant that serves local, seasonal foods. It was super tasty and special.

The day ended, the same way it started– with a ferry ride. Only this time the lights guided us home. My only hopes are that more full day excursions and bainbridge visits are in my future! …And maybe a solid win at Settlers of Catan 😉

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